Chapter 37 – Kierd Soft

Chapter 37 – Kierd Soft

The first winter in my Previous Life was unusually cold.

It seemed that this time, it wouldn’t be much different.

Even though it was only mid-November, white graupel was falling outside the large glass windows of the brightly lit Shopping Mall 6th Floor.

“Wow… Brother. It’s already the first snow.”

“I have a feeling this year is going to be incredibly cold.”

Seongjae sighed as he roughly ruffled the hair of his younger brother, who was excitedly acting like a child.

The saving grace was that, given our specific situation using a Thermal Power Generator, securing hot water wasn’t a big issue. Also, heating facilities utilizing that water and electricity were well-prepared.

‘Around this time in my Previous Life, I really struggled with the cold.’

Feeling the warmth on my back, I continued to check the Observation Probe without leaving this Fire Manipulation.

The place I was looking at was Ansan Stadium.

It was a place that had been transformed into a considerable scale through several recent expansions. It hadn’t been long since the construction was finished, and no proper games could be played until the Situation broke out, but…

Now it had become the Cradle of a Monster Nest.

Of course, it was as enormous as The Man’s.

‘This would be difficult to handle even with an Assault Cannon.’

Even when clearing the small Nest last time, I had to overuse the Assault Cannon just to break through The Man Mana Shield. It wasn’t for nothing that Humanity couldn’t deal with such Nests and left them alone.

Of course, I wasn’t without a method.

‘Well… if I Summoned The Man’s, there wouldn’t be a big problem.’

Unless it was an urgent situation like last time, there were many ways to deal with a Nest from which there was no escape.

Especially now that my Mana Quantity had increased to the point where I could Summon Large-Class machines, even more so.

Meanwhile, if The Man Monster Nest was the ‘foot’ of Choi Seunghwan’s subordinates, the ‘hand’ was none other than the Special Entity.

As soon as I saw The Man, I was immediately sure it was a special entity, and the reason was obvious.

‘It’s impossible not to know when it’s covered in Lava like that.’

The creature was constantly spewing sticky liquid of scorching red stones, and anyone would have immediately noticed. However, the Monster actually spewing The Man Lava was difficult to identify with the naked eye.

‘They said it was a Fish-shaped Monster…’

Fortunately, having memories Before Regression, I knew what Hyungtae The Man Monster was, but since it was a constantly moving Monster, it was difficult to pinpoint The Man’s location.

The Man Lava Pond surrounded the Nest like a Moat. However, instead of completely encircling it like a donut, it was U-shaped, leaving open a passage for Monsters coming out of the Nest.

‘How should I approach this…?’

I slowly, but surely, began to devise a strategy.

‘Given that scale, there must be Lava Essence too?’

My mouth watered at the thought of the upgrade.

* * *

Meanwhile, there were other factions that had completed their internal consolidation and started to look around. It was Kim Mincheol, who was now directly confronting Choi Seunghwan of Incheon.

The Man, a man in his 40s who had led an ordinary life as a Middle Manager in a small to medium-sized company, only truly showed his worth when the world collapsed.

He centered himself around his loyal company colleagues and his family. He drove out President Lee Miracle, who tried to assert authority and satisfy his own loyal greed in a changing world.

After that, he once again secured his position as a communicative leader guiding the group through another vote. He gradually expanded his influence and eventually transformed into Bucheon’s Largest Group. It was almost ironic that they named their company after the group’s name.

Of course, his abilities played a significant role in this background.

He could simply consume mana to discern if an opponent had an intention to cooperate with him.

However, just knowing who was an enemy and who was an ally was an enormous help in surviving in this world.

To counter this ability and prevent his true intentions from being exposed, Mincheol’s opponent had to use more mana than Mincheol did.

Few could surpass Mincheol’s training, as he had continuously used his ability whenever an opportunity arose while expanding his influence.

But even he…

feared Choi Seunghwan of Incheon.

Everyone, even if it’s just a tiny thread, has an intention to cooperate.

Even a Marauder, as long as they are human.

For example, even when a Marauder made an absurd offer like taking everything but sparing one’s life.

Mincheol could discern that tiny thread of cooperative intent.

In this world, taking everything was practically murder.

But he came to realize that ‘sparing one’s life’ was considered at least a minimal intention to cooperate.

However, he… found no such cooperative intent from the four envoys Choi Seunghwan had sent.

Not even a thread.

From all four of them.

‘This is impossible…’

Kim Mincheol was frozen in fear.

If they were truly human, could they harbor such endless hostile malice towards another person, without even the slightest room for cooperation?

That is, ‘if they were human.’

And all four of them? There was no doubt. Moreover, if even the envoys were like that, what kind of person would Choi Seunghwan himself be?

Kim Mincheol felt an instinctive fear from the existence of Choi Seunghwan.

It was natural for him to avoid Choi Seunghwan and begin inquiring about other potential collaborators in the vicinity, desperate for survival.

But there were also problems.

There were powerful factions in Gwangmyeong City to the east and Seoul, but they were far away and would be difficult to rely on in a pinch. Moreover, they were already engaged in power struggles among themselves, so they didn’t seem like they would be much help.

‘I need a faction that is close by and has an unrivaled position.’

Kim Mincheol even hesitated, wondering if he should reach out to the Looters who had settled in Geumhwa New City New Town.

The Looters were known for their vicious behavior, and rumors circulated that the smell of rotting corpses was common around where they lived.

But in Kim Mincheol’s eyes, the Looters were at least ‘people.’

And if they were people, he thought, they might at least be able to fight alongside him against Choi Seunghwan of Incheon, who was clearly a Villain.

The enemy of my enemy is my friend, he thought. Even if he couldn’t expect an alliance, it might be okay if they could at least form a united front.

But… his thoughts were brutally shattered.

Someone had crushed the Marauder faction.

And in less than a week.

‘Is that even possible?’

At first, he thought it was Choi Seunghwan’s doing. But as time went on, the rumors he heard repeatedly overturned his expectations.

‘They say they built a castle in the Old Town and live there.’

‘They say they provide electricity and water for free?’

‘They also pile up supplies like mountains. They say they have everything: clothes, food, and more.’

‘They even patrol outside. They don’t just defend when attacked; they actively seek out and kill monsters.’

‘They’re building some kind of steam train. What are they going to use that for…?’

It was all beyond logical comprehension.

At first, there was a great deal of fear regarding this unknown faction, but after seeing their dispatched units a few times, it was astonishing.

Knight armor from who knows where, strangely shaped guns, and even Dwarf spearmen who weren’t even certainly human. Their appearance was too unique.

But despite their peculiar appearance, they were showing astonishing combat skills against monsters.

Tat-tat-tat-tat-tat-

Monsters being shredded before they could even approach, and.

Thwack!

Monsters that get stabbed by spears if you approach them.

Kim Mincheol saw new hope in The Man.

‘This… I’ll have to go and see for myself.’

The man was the kind of man who made up his mind like that.

* * *

Mincheol, accompanied by two escorts, arrived at a place where only rumors were rampant, having disguised their identities as an envoy. It was a castle that boasted an imposing appearance in the middle of the downtown area.

“Wow… A castle of this scale already… What kind of ability does the owner here have, I wonder?”

“It seems quite a few people live here, too?”

It was while the two younger escorts were talking among themselves in hushed voices.

“You may enter the castle on the condition of disarming.”

Permission to enter the castle was granted.

Mincheol was surprised once again to see the steel drawbridge in operation, but at the same time, he also had another thought for a moment.

‘Could it be that he’s a fool? We don’t even know what our abilities are… Is it alright to let us in like this?’

However, Mincheol quickly realized.

‘No… This is confidence.’

He didn’t know who the owner of the castle was, but this was a person who had built such a castle. There was no way he hadn’t taken every precaution for safety.

They were, in fact, saying this:

Whatever you do is useless.

Perhaps, it was a thought that came to him because of the ominous aura emanating from the black dwarf spearman who was quietly following behind them.

Mincheol tried to use his Loyalty ability to ascertain the black spearman’s intentions, but the response was as unresponsive as if he had used the ability on a brick.

‘Is it not a person, after all…?’

In the end, Mincheol had to be satisfied with having obtained at least some information.

Then they were soon transferred one by one to a small room. They had a brief interview under contract. The condition was that they could refuse to answer, but they had to at least not lie.

‘Indeed… The Contract Ability can be used in this way too.’

Mincheol was impressed. They, who had been brought into the interior where people were active, couldn’t help but be surprised once again.

“Giggle!”

The brightly laughing children were playing in the alley.

“Hey, why are you eating something else!”

“I like this one.”

Even the adults were complaining about the food.

‘Is… Is this really living in the same era as me?’

Mincheol thought of his wife, who was probably still strictly controlling what their children ate at home.

Furthermore, his work life wasn’t much different.

In a society of endless competition, children often had to endure at academies until 10 PM, and then do homework even after returning home.

He himself rarely got home before 11 PM, due to overtime and company dinners.

Sometimes he wondered if this was right. But he would grit his teeth and endure it anyway. At least, for his beloved children.

However… seeing this scene now made him feel a sense of doubt.

‘Perhaps… they might even be happier than in modern society.’

He thought that, then quickly shook his head in surprise.

‘No, that can’t be. It can’t be.’

Kim Mincheol composed his wavering mind and then.

“This way.”

Followed the guide to see the Lord.

* * *

I carefully observed his appearance with the Observation Probe.

‘This is definitely Kim Mincheol, isn’t it?’

There was no way I wouldn’t recognize him. All the influential figures among the large nearby factions had Observation Probes attached to them.

In particular, Kim Mincheol was the leader of the survivors in Bucheon, which was close by, and I was considering a proposal for an alliance to keep Choi Seunghwan in check.

I had confirmed not only his abilities, but also the abilities of his escorts and their levels. Thanks to that, I could pretend to be wary while secretly feeling relieved and allowing them into the Castle.

‘Given that he came himself, it must be urgent.’

I smirked. Thanks to the overwhelming information gap between the men and me, it was nothing short of a rigged game.

With the men… I faced Kim Mincheol.

“We are an envoy representing Kierd Soft, the largest survivor faction in Bucheon. We’ve come to propose an alliance with your faction.”

“Hmm… An alliance with my faction? Why should I?”

I decided to play hard to get a little.

***

A moment later.

After negotiating with the men, I immediately assigned an escort team to them and sent them back. Of course, it wasn’t free.

‘I can’t believe they conceded so much…’

There was also the fact that they tried to use their abilities on me and failed, giving me the upper hand, but it seemed the men were much more desperate than I had thought.

In particular, it was impressive that they indirectly expressed their fear of Choi Seunghwan of Incheon. At the very least, Kim Mincheol must have grasped some understanding of Choi Seunghwan’s identity.

‘If they know their situation, things move quickly.’

I agreed to receive a certain amount of Mana Stones as tribute in exchange for helping protect the men. Also, I imposed various conditions favorable to me, such as information requests, personnel exchanges, and the introduction of an economy under my leadership.

However, I did not demand resources closely related to survival, such as food or clothing. It was also something the men had proposed first, of course.

‘Well… I don’t need it right now anyway.’

I had to think even more about the long-term miracle. Resources were sufficient, and production was about to begin.

Demanding sensitive resources would only sour our relationship, and it was obvious that the men wouldn’t be able to provide them properly.

After all, there’s no one in the world who would give up their clothes and food when their own child is naked and starving.

So, in the end, we decided to accept ‘Mana Stones’ as currency.

We had our first contract client.

Of course, I wasn’t just asking for Mana Stones for no reason. It would be great if I could protect everyone, but with my resources limited, I couldn’t just do good deeds for others indefinitely.

Especially for tasks that require investing various resources like Mana Stones, it was efficient to attract groups that could provide Mana Stones in this way to secure my castle’s foundation immediately.

However, that didn’t mean the men were at a loss.

If I grow stronger, the men also become safer to that extent. It’s a win-win system where if I benefit, they also benefit.

‘Of course, I’ll benefit more, though.’

I laughed to myself.

Doing good deeds and earning Mana Stones.

Isn’t that the best?

Meanwhile, there was also a thought that came to mind with a large ally appearing in the North.

“Now I can really focus only on Siheung Ansan.”

It was time to clear out the South.